Josh Cellars is the best-selling premium wine brand in the United States — not one of the best, the actual best, with over five million cases sold annually according to Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits (https://www.deutschfamily.com/josh-cellars-announces-surpassing-5-million-cases-annually/). That is a staggering amount of wine, and it raises an obvious question for anyone who has seen the bottles everywhere: is it actually good, or is it just well-marketed?
Joe and Carmela bought three Josh Cellars wines and tasted them for Episode 109 of The Wine Pair Podcast. Here is what they found.
What Is Josh Cellars?
Josh Cellars was founded in 2007 by Joseph Carr, who named the brand after his late father. Carr initially sold bottles out of the back of his truck before Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits acquired the brand's distribution and marketing in 2011, as detailed by the US Chamber of Commerce (https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/the-leap/josh-cellars-growth-story). The wines are sourced from across California and produced at facilities in Paso Robles, Mendocino, and Oregon. The winery website provides almost no production detail, which matters if you care about how a wine is made.
Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2022
Price: $11.99 | Joe: 6/10 | Carmela: 6/10
The Chardonnay was the most drinkable of the three. The nose showed apple, stone fruit, nectarine, vanilla, and a hint of butterscotch. On the palate it was buttery with light oak, fruity, and finished with apple crumb and baking spice. It is a classic California-style Chardonnay — consistent, inoffensive, and exactly what most people expect from a bottle in this price range. Both hosts chose it as the bottle they would finish. At 6/10 it lands in "would drink if poured, would not go out of my way to buy it" territory on their scale.
Best with: fish and chips, creamy pasta, seafood, fried fish.
Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Price: $12.99 | Joe: 5/10 | Carmela: 5/10
The Cabernet opened with promising jammy plum and blackberry, then lost the thread. The palate went smoky and ashy with a persistent matchstick and charcoal quality that both hosts found off-putting. Cedar, leather, and rose potpourri rounded out a finish that did not improve over time. Both Joe and Carmela rated it 5/10 — drinkable, but not worth a repeat purchase.
Best with: pizza, steak, cheeseburger, grilled meat.
Josh Cellars Central Coast Pinot Noir 2022
Price: $14.99 | Joe: 4/10 | Carmela: 5/10
The low point of the tasting. The 2021 vintage of this wine earned a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy designation and 92 points, but the 2022 did not deliver anything close to that. The nose was earthy and vegetal with green pepper notes. The palate showed underripe cherry, tart raspberry bramble, wood, and a metallic, vinegary finish that Joe described as insipid. At $14.99 it is the most expensive of the three bottles and the least convincing. Joe gave it a 4/10, Carmela a 5/10.
Best with: pizza, burger, soft pretzel with cheese — something to hide behind.
Our Verdict
The honest summary is that Josh Cellars makes clean, consistent, mass-market California wine at mass-market price points. But it is not a good wine, and does not deserve your money. The social media hype that surrounded the brand in early 2024 suggested something more interesting than what is actually in the glass. For the same $12-15, there are wines that do considerably better. Our podcast covers specific alternatives in other episodes — wines in the same price range that scored significantly higher on honest blind tastings where we buy all our own wine and accept no free samples.
The full tasting, including the conversation about how Josh became the country's top-selling premium wine, is in Episode 109: Josh Wines Are... Meh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Josh wine good?
A: It depends on the bottle, but mostly, no. Joe and Carmela rated the Josh Cellars Chardonnay 6/10 each and found it pleasant but unremarkable. The Cabernet Sauvignon scored 5/10 from both. The Pinot Noir scored 4/10 (Joe) and 5/10 (Carmela). All three are drinkable, mass-market California wines that do not justify the brand's hype.
Q: What does Josh Cellars Chardonnay taste like?
A: Apple, stone fruit, nectarine, vanilla, and a buttery mouthfeel with light oak. It is a classic California-style Chardonnay at $11.99. Joe and Carmela both rated it 6/10 and called it the best of the three Josh wines they tasted.
Q: What does Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon taste like?
A: Jammy plum and blackberry on the nose, with smoke, cedar, and a persistent matchstick and charcoal quality on the palate. Joe and Carmela both rated it 5/10 at $12.99.
Q: Is Josh Cellars Pinot Noir good?
A: The 2022 Central Coast Pinot Noir disappointed both hosts. Joe rated it 4/10 and Carmela 5/10. Tasting notes included underripe cherry, raspberry bramble, and a metallic, vinegary finish. At $14.99 it was the most expensive and least impressive of the three bottles.
Q: Who owns Josh Cellars?
A: Josh Cellars was founded by Joseph Carr in 2007 and acquired by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits in 2011. It is currently the best-selling premium wine brand in the United States, selling over five million cases per year.